To the Moon and Back
by DevilCuriosity
Summary: Like so many times past, they felt as if they were the only souls in all of Halloween Town. As the sky darkened to a velvety shade of plum, Jack and Sally sat atop their favorite hill and gazed up at the moon. This, of all nights, was going to be a beautiful one.


_Drag your pretty head around,  
swearin' you're gonna drown,  
with a beautiful sigh and a river of lies._

_Staring down the stars,  
jealous of the moon,  
you wish you could fly. _

Nickel Creek

* * *

Oh but Jack Skellington, he was always the dreamer. The first to rise and the last to fall. His days had passed like a perfect autumn season, its leaves turning red and orange at all the right moments. Tonight, the sky was as black as coal and the stars as bright as diamonds.

As he waltzed through the now quiet Halloween Town, he looked beyond the cemetery to see the glowing outline of his destination. He passed the macabre fountain that oozed silky green liquid from its tarnished mouth. The owls cooed loudly in his wake, standing sentinel in the trees on either side of him. Tonight was quieter than usual and the breeze that so often whistled through his hollow orifices was nowhere to be felt. Before he could ponder the subtleties of this night, however, his train of thought had immediately disappeared when he stopped short of himself and looked above.

On the tip of the hill, there were a patch of blue lilies that created a fairy ring. And there Sally sat in that fairy ring, her arms folded neatly around her stitched knees as she stared into the velvet sky. He gazed at her and it was like staring into a painting that struck the most indescribable of emotions in him. He could feel himself choking up as his bones stiffened and then softened with each breath. After a moment he paced up the hill and seated himself beside her, his sunken gaze fixed on the curves of her lovely face. Her eyes remained on the sky and as he looked at her, he noticed the crease in her forehead that was now defined more than ever.

"My darling, what's wrong?" Asked Jack, his hollow eyes slanted upward in a frown.

"There is no moon tonight," Sally replied.

Jack followed her gaze and looked up into the blackness. The sky was darker tonight and the stars that came out had illuminated only the faintest glints of light. He placed a lanky thumb under his chin as his face crinkled into thought. He eased up after a moment and looked around, humming a familiar tune as he untangled ideas whizzing around in his head. _I've got a plan, _he thought.

"I'll be just a minute," Jack said moments later. "Don't go anywhere." He grabbed Sally's tiny hand and planted a kiss on it before disappearing into the darkness. The object of his affection looked back up at the sky and sighed.

Jack sprinted as fast as his leggy limbs could take him and almost knocked down the door to his tower when he barged in. He climbed the stairs to the highest room where he worked on his most precious experiments. He grabbed two handfuls of what he dubbed his "magic" string and a pair of leather gloves. Running back down the stairs, he made sure to grab his coat and an afghan that hung haphazardly on a metal hanger. The door slammed behind him as he darted past the hill and into the open blackness beyond.

"I wonder what he's up to," Sally said to Zero as she watched her soulmate zoom past. She stroked Zero's satin-like coat as he watched the frantic movements of his master under the starlight. The ghost dog's hollow eyes darted left and right, tracing each and every leap Jack had taken. He could see it unravel before his eyes and just as they began to get anxious, the perpetrator of all the secrecy was finally coming into view.

"Oh!" Sally exclaimed in surprise, a smile widening across her stitched lips.

A few yards beyond the hill, she could see an enormous orb coming out from behind the now thinning clouds. As the object progressed closer to where she and Zero sat, the sight was magnificent. Suspended there amidst the darkness was the misty outline of the moon, ever sparkly and luminescent. There were glittering bursts of dim light bouncing off the crusty surface as it found its place and floated pleasantly before its audience. Sally's gaze wandered around the moon's diameter and eventually caught sight of Jack climbing into view as he leapt off one of the craters and ran over to her.

"Well, how is it?" Jack asked as he seated himself.

"Oh Jack, it's lovely," Sally said, unable to control the her widening grin. Jack returned the grin and entwined his bony fingers in her small hand. She leaned in and rested her head in the crook of his neck and together, they stared at the brightest object in the sky.

"The moon is yours tonight, Sally." Jack closed his eyes and draped an arm around her. Sally looked up at him and smiled. If there was one thing she loved about Jack, it was that his willpower made him do incredible things and even then, he never seemed to have wasted any energy. He was spectacular in his own right.

"I love you, Jack," said Sally at last, more to herself than to him.

"And I love you, Sally," Jack replied lovingly. He planted a kiss in her hair and squeezed her tighter.

And like many other nights, they could have been the only ones living in all of Halloween Town for all they cared. As the night darkened, Jack and Sally sat atop their favorite hill and looked up at the beautiful moon.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

When that Nickel Creek song came on, I couldn't help but picture Jack and Sally and the loveliness that could only unravel in one place - Halloween Town. What I would give to be a painter right now so that I could paint the picture in my head. Sigh.


End file.
